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Sustainable tourism:
an opportunity
for regions
to
Sustainable tourism:
benefit from their cultural
an opportunity for regions to
and natural heritage
value and benefit from their
cultural and natural heritage
A policy brief from the Policy Learning Platform
on environment and resource efficiency
April 2018Policy Learning Platform on environment and resource efficiency
Summary
The policy brief provides a definition of cultural and natural heritage and sustainable
tourism and explores the links between them. It demonstrates that cultural and natural
heritage is a significant asset for local communities and makes an overview of
European Union policies and initiatives in the field. It also showcases how Interreg
Europe projects fit into the picture by responding to challenges at the intersection of
cultural and natural heritage and tourism.
Defining cultural and natural heritage and sustainable tourism
Cultural Heritage is an expression of the ways of living developed by a community and
passed on from generation to generation, including customs, practices, places, objects,
artistic expressions and values (ICOMOS, 2002). Cultural identity can be tangible
such as the built environment, natural environment and artefacts or intangible such
as habits, traditions, oral history, etc.1
Natural capital embraces natural resources, land and ecosystems and is also
essential for delivering ecosystem services that underpin our economy. EU-wide
Natura 2000 network of protected territories offers plenty of opportunities for
ecotourism and outdoor recreational activities.
Sustainable tourism can be defined as "tourism that takes full account of its current
and future economic, social and environmental impacts, addressing the needs of
visitors, the industry, the environment and host communities" (UNWTO, 2005).
Additionally, World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) emphasizes that ‘sustainable
tourism provides more meaningful connections with local people, and a greater
understanding of local cultural, social and environmental issues’.
Linking cultural and natural heritage and sustainable tourism
During past years there has been a shift in the heritage discourse from a conservation-
oriented approach to a value-oriented approach, meaning the acknowledgement of
the value of cultural and natural heritage for various spheres of life. The London
Declaration of the EC Conference on Sustainable Europe’s Cultural Heritage (2004)
stated, among other things, that ‘cultural heritage has a considerable impact in many
areas of economic and regional development, sustainable tourism, job creation,
improving skills through technological innovation, environment, social identity,
education and construction’. (European Commission, 2004). Consequently, cultural
and natural heritage and sustainable tourism are closely linked. Cultural and natural
heritage has a positive impact on sustainable tourism while tourism can be sustainable
only if it includes more intimate interaction with the local culture and the local
environment.
1
http://www.cultureindevelopment.nl/cultural_heritage/what_is_cultural_heritage
ICOMOS, International Cultural Tourism Charter. Principles And Guidelines For Managing Tourism At Places Of Cultural And Heritage
Significance. ICOMOS International Cultural Tourism Committee. 2002.
1
Policy bief: Sustainable tourism: an opportunity for regions to benefit from their cultural and natural heritagePolicy Learning Platform on environment and resource efficiency
There is a number of additional links which could be made between cultural and natural
heritage and sustainable tourism:
• Cultural and natural heritage is a potential source of interest and attraction for
tourists but tourist activities could create additional pressures, in particular
environmental pressure but also identity pressure on the local communities in
case of high number of tourists. Moreover, there could be negative impacts
mainly through uncontrolled visitation and related land use changes,
disturbances of species, invasive alien species, waste or pollution (IEEP, 2009).
• The tourism potential of cultural and natural assets may facilitate the
preservation and restoration efforts, if performed in a sustainable and
responsible way. For example, eco-tourism can support biodiversity
conservation providing revenues for the management of Natura 2000 sites.
• Natural heritage (i.e. Natura 2000 sites) has an enormous potential to attract
tourists in a number of activities such as hiking, biking, fishing, swimming,
camping, horse riding, hunting, bird- and nature-watching (IEEP, 2009).2
• Nature and culture tourism often go hand in hand as tourists who value one
often value the other and also because they are often closely situated. For
instance, of the 365 World Heritage Sites in the EU, almost 20% are located in,
or directly on the border of a Natura 2000 site. A further 142 sites (or 42%) are
within walking distance (2 km or less away).3
What is happening at EU level?
Cultural heritage is one of the priorities in the EU Work Plan for Culture (2015-2018) in
line with the European Agenda for Culture which is the strategic framework for the
cultural policies of the EU. Priority topics to be implemented on Member State level
include participatory governance of cultural heritage; skills, training and knowledge
transfer. The work plan calls for the identification of ways to create a European tourism
offer based on cultural heritage assets. Further to that, spotlight is given onexploring
how digitisation of cultural content and digital services can foster the expansion of
trans-European tourism networks.
In the tourism sector, EU competences are to ‘complement, support and coordinate
the action of the Member States’. The Agenda for a sustainable and competitive
European tourism is the main EU strategic document on sustainable tourism. The
Agenda highlights that ‘creating the right balance between the welfare of tourists, the
needs of the natural and cultural environment and the development and
competitiveness of destinations and businesses requires an integrated and holistic
policy approach’. Other policy instruments on sustainable tourism include the EU
Ecolabel and the EMAS registration. The EU Ecolabel is a voluntary tool available to
tourism accommodation services willing to build upon and promote their environmental
performance. Specific EU Ecolabel criteria have been developed for tourist
accommodation and campsite services. Eco-management and Audit Scheme (EMAS)
registration allows actors in the tourism sector to improve their environmental
2
IEEP, 2009, Assessing Socio-economic benefits of Natura 2000: A toolkit for practitioners
3
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/natura2000/management/pdf/Nature-and-Culture-leaflet-web.pdf
2
Policy bief: Sustainable tourism: an opportunity for regions to benefit from their cultural and natural heritagePolicy Learning Platform on environment and resource efficiency
performance and promote the quality of their services. EMAS best environmental
management practice document can guide them in this process. European Tourism
Indicators System for sustainable destination management (ETIS) has been
developed to help measure the performance of tourist destinations in relation to
sustainability.4
The question of funding
The policy brief on protection and sustainable management of cultural heritage,
developed by the Interreg Europe Policy Learning Platform, Environment and
Resource Efficiency in November 2016 highlights a number of European programmes
and funding opportunities such as European Union Prize for Cultural Heritage and the
European Heritage Label5. Other significant support funding mechanisms and
initiatives for culture and cultural heritage include Creative Europe (EUR 1,460,000,000
for support of cultural and creative sectors including cultural heritage)6;
2018, European Year of Cultural Heritage’s7; Additional funding sources which address
issues around cultural heritage include: European Structural and Investment Funds
(ESIF); Connecting Europe Facility; COSME; ‘Europe for Citizens’ Programme; and
Horizon 2020. In fact, numerous Interreg programmes have selected “culture heritage”
and “sustainable tourism development” as key investment priorities.8
Altogether, the 2014-2020 Growth and Jobs programmes support investments in
sustainable use and protection of nature that at the same time have many spill-over
effects on tourism and other sectors. In addition, the LIFE fund thematic priorities on
resource efficiency, green and circular economy are also suitable for the nexus
between natural heritage and sustainable tourism.The Natural Capital Financing
Facility (NCFF), supports natural capital investments that can generate revenues and
save costs, among which investments in eco-tourism.9
Within the COSME programme EASME supports the promotion and development of
transnational thematic tourism products linked to cultural and creative industries. 10
Around 6.1 million EUR have been earmarked for 2018.
How to bring cultural and natural heritage and sustainable tourism together:
challenges at regional level
The exploitation of cultural and natural heritage for tourism development and recreation
is increasing rapidly. This can be both an advantage in terms of boosting
4
http://ec.europa.eu/growth/sectors/tourism/offer/sustainable/indicators_fr
5
https://ec.europa.eu/programmes/creative-europe/actions/heritage-label/frequently-asked-questions_en
6
https://ec.europa.eu/programmes/creative-europe/actions/heritage-label_en
7
https://europa.eu/cultural-heritage/about_en
8
https://ec.europa.eu/culture/policy/cultural-creative-industries/eu-funding_en
9
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/funding/financial_instruments/documents/ncff_leaflet.pdf
10
https://ec.europa.eu/easme/en/cos-tourcci-2017-3-03-supporting-promotion-and-development-transnational-thematic-tourism-products
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Policy bief: Sustainable tourism: an opportunity for regions to benefit from their cultural and natural heritagePolicy Learning Platform on environment and resource efficiency
potential for local economic development, job creation and branding, and a challenge
in ensuring proper conservation of this fragile heritage.
Balance between economic benefits and pressure
One of the main challenges for developing sustainable tourism around cultural and
natural heritage assets is striking the right balance between engaging into profitable
activities and at the same time not damaging the assets at stake. Finding this balance
requires high level of awareness among citizens and policy makers of the vulnerability
of the assets and the careful approach which goes with it.
Pressures caused by tourism
Tourism is often associated with different environmental and social pressures at the
tourist destinations. These include the production of waste, environmental impact
caused by transport, etc. Careful management at local and regional level are needed
to prevent and manage these pressures including minimisation of resource use, proper
waste management, introduction of sustainable forms of transport, etc. Social
improvements may include the improvement of the quality of tourism-related jobs,
safety of local communities, etc.
Conservation
Cultural heritage is a valuable regional asset which is often in need of proper
conservation, preservation and restoration. There is know-how which exists around
conservation and which needs to be available to regional authorities. Conservation
requires skilled professionals who are able to evaluate the state of the cultural heritage
and are able to deploy state-of-the-art techniques.
Awareness and long-term thinking
There is limited awareness of the negative impacts of intensive tourism and inadequate
promotion and awareness of innovative offers including cultural heritage tourism, as
well as accessibility of those offers. The issue requires targeted efforts on behalf of
cultural and natural heritage specialists as well as regional and local authorities. Better
awareness would also lead to longer term strategic thinking and anchoring of cultural
and natural heritage tourism in regional development strategies.
Digitalisation
There is no sufficient ICT uptake in the area of cultural and natural heritage. The fact
that most natural, cultural and historical heritage has not been digitalised yet hampers
the access of the general public and tourists.
Regional solutions developed through interregional cooperation
Interreg Europe provides support for conserving, protecting, promoting and developing
natural and cultural heritage, recognising that regional actors are well-placed to
undertake this work and benefit from the exchange of experience with other areas
facing similar challenges.
Different aspects of cultural and natural heritage and their link to sustainable tourism
are addressed in the projects supported by Interreg Europe Programme. Deploying
natural and cultural heritage assets for the development and promotion of innovative
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Policy bief: Sustainable tourism: an opportunity for regions to benefit from their cultural and natural heritagePolicy Learning Platform on environment and resource efficiency
and responsible tourism strategies, including intangible and industrial heritage, is a key
theme for CHRISTA. Cult-RInG puts forward cultural routes as tools to unlock tourism
potential and to promote EU’s shared and diverse cultural identities. Green Pilgrimage
focuses on ancient pilgrim routes which are seeing a rise in visitors’ numbers. EPICAH
also addresses tourism development and natural and cultural heritage protection in
cross-border areas emphasising on the development of sustainable, homogeneous
and consistent tools for heritage preservation to be used across the border. Combining
the traditional forms of exhibiting heritage with ICT-based solutions is especially
relevant for tourism as it raises citizens’ interest in heritage and increases the visits to
museums and heritage sites. CD-ETA aims to improve the adoption of digital
approaches in the natural and cultural heritage sector.
There are positive examples from Interreg Europe projects in promoting sustainable
tourism around cultural and natural heritage. Funded projects demonstrate the value
of cooperation at regional level and a database of good practices has been put
together. Examples of regional solutions from Interreg Europe projects are presented
below:
Policy learning guidelines on Industrial Heritage Tourism
Industrial heritage includes remains from Europe’s industrial past such as abandoned
factories and warehouses but also machines, means of transport and infrastructure, as
well as workers settlements. It is a valuable evidence of European development in the
past centuries. Industrial heritage is often found in regions in decline and if restored
and valued it could be a significant source of tourism-related revenues.
The policy learning guidelines on industrial heritage tourism developed within
CHRISTA project include topics such as: research, evaluation and protection of the
industrial heritage; conservation and conversion of industrial heritage; creating a ‘state-
of-the-art’ cultural tourism site. The guidelines can be very useful to regional or local
authorities and tour operators who would like to restore, convert and present industrial
heritage in line with modern practices.
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Policy bief: Sustainable tourism: an opportunity for regions to benefit from their cultural and natural heritagePolicy Learning Platform on environment and resource efficiency
Guide on cross-border cultural heritage tourism - Two countries: one destination
In this guide the European region of the Atlantic Axis (Galicia-North of Portugal)
presents the rich tourism resources of the Euro-region and the regions’ capacity to
valuate them through a common brand: “Two countries one destination”. The guide,
which is one of the good practices analysed by EPICAH partners, is part of the strategy
designed by Atlantic Axis and its members to present the Euro-region as a common
tourist destination and make the border a tourist product itself. The guide covers the
topic of religious tourism around the Way of Saint James’ both on the Spanish and
Portuguese sides of the border. It also addresses the issue of ethnographic and castle
tourism and eno-tourism. It makes an overview of the natural heritage in the two
regions. EPICAH’s idea is to extend this philosophy of Two Countries, One Destination
to other EU borders.
The guide is targeted at international and local tourists and tour operators. It does not
contain policy insights but can be an inspiration for border regions willing to
demonstrate and valorise their cultural heritage in a common manner. The
innovativeness of the guide comes from the fact that the regions present a common
offer, market it jointly and in this way attempt to create a demand for tourism around
borders. The guide was widely disseminated. Some 65.000 copies have been printed
out of which 40.000 copies were distributed with press media and other 20,000 in the
tourist offices in 36 cities of the Euro-region and in a Tourism Fair that was organised
to boost tourism in regional cities.
Promoting region’s vegetable heritage through “Gîtes de France” tourist
accommodations
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Policy bief: Sustainable tourism: an opportunity for regions to benefit from their cultural and natural heritagePolicy Learning Platform on environment and resource efficiency
Espaces naturels régionaux (ENRx), a partner in IMPACT project, is a public authority
responsible for supporting regional natural parks by providing expertise and innovative
solutions. ENRx has been collaborating with Gîtes de France accommodation network
in promoting sustainable tourism in the territories of Regional Natural Parks. An
example of this cooperation is the project "Jardins Vitrines" (“Showcase gardens”)
which aims to promote the preservation and enhancement of local vegetable varieties
by creating showcase gardens near tourist accommodations. The purpose is to
demonstrate regional vegetable heritage by planting seeds from older vegetable
varieties. In 2017, 20 Gîtes de France operators are engaged in the initiative. They
received a kit of seeds of 12 regional vegetables varieties by the Regional Center of
Genetic Resources and presented these vegetables to their customers. ENRx and
Gites de France wished to extend the network outside the territories of regional natural
parks: in 2018, 28 members will cultivate and cook regional vegetables for tourists.
2018 should see the establishment of common signing posts for these vegetable
gardens as well as the publication of a collection of recipes.
Applying ICT solutions in museums - SEE for Me: The “intelligent audio-guide” project
The project “See for Me”, supported by ERDF and implemented in Florence (Italy),
addressed the problem of creating a smart audio guide that adapts to the actions and
interests of museum visitors, understanding both the context of the visit and what the
visitor is looking at. The smart audio guide, deployable on the most common
smartphones in use, perceives the context and is able to interact with users: it performs
automatic recognition of artworks, to enable a semi-automatic interaction with the
wearer. User-friendliness, interaction and high level of applicability are key features of
the audio guide, that also indicate potential for transferring the practice to other
museums motivated to improve the experience of their visitors. The system has been
tested at the Bargello National Museum of Florence including successful usability test
through SUS questionnaires.
All of the above practices contribute to better valuing, treasuring and, hence,
preserving cultural and natural heritage while stimulating their use for a more
sustainable and fulfilling tourism.
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Policy bief: Sustainable tourism: an opportunity for regions to benefit from their cultural and natural heritagePolicy Learning Platform on environment and resource efficiency
The Way Forward
• There is a number of economically disadvantaged regions in Europe with
valuable cultural and natural heritage which can become a source of economic
development. As cultural and natural heritage is a potential source for regional
economic development for these regions their value should be revealed,
promoted and treasured. Such is the case of EPICAH whereby two border
regions embark on a joint promotion of their cultural and natural heritage to
create more economic opportunities for local people.
• Cultural and natural heritage is vulnerable to potential pressures from tourism
and therefore needs to be protected and preserved using best available
knowledge in order to remain a source of attraction and economic benefits for
the future. To balance protection of natural and cultural heritage and tourism is
not an easy task. However, in many European regions much experience has
been gained in, for example, visitor management and techniques as well as
processes that minimise the impact of tourism on heritage assets.
• In order to promote sustainable tourism linked to cultural and natural heritage,
regions and touroperators need to create innovative and original niche offers
and unique visitor experience. Hands-on tools such as CHRISTA’s guide on
industrial heritage and EPICAH’s guide on cross-border tourism are necessary,
the latter covering a number of niche markets such as enotourism, spa tourism,
equestrian tourism, etc.
• Trends in Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) such as growing
broadband and mobile connectivity, the access to online data, etc. determine
also the future of the environmental and cultural assets management. Regions
and cities need to take advantage of the opprtunities that digitalisation provides
for better access to heritage assets and engagement of audiences. Tools like
the “See for Me” interactive guide adds to the personalisation of visitors’
experience.
• Sustainable tourism development requires working with bottom-up approach
and, an active participation of all relevant stakeholders including businesses
from the tourism sector. Strong political leadership to ensure wide participation
and consensus building is also essential. Exchange of successful models,
initiatives such as “Showcase gardens”, tools and approaches is key to that. All
Interreg Europe projects in cultural and natural heritage cater for this objective.
• Regional and local authorities can explore and strengthen the links between
natural and cultural heritage to generate economic benefits and employment
opportunities in key sectors such as sustainable tourism. This is in line with the
Action Plan for nature, people and the economy, that also calls for identifying
and disseminating good practice case studies for integrated management of
natural and cultural heritage in Natura 2000.
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Policy bief: Sustainable tourism: an opportunity for regions to benefit from their cultural and natural heritagePolicy Learning Platform on environment and resource efficiency
Sources of further information
• European Agenda for Culture
• Work Plan for Culture (2015-2018)
• ICOMOS, International Cultural Tourism Charter. Principles And Guidelines For
Managing Tourism At Places Of Cultural And Heritage Significance. ICOMOS
International Cultural Tourism Committee. 2002.
• UNWTO, “Making tourism more sustainable - A guide for Policy Makers”, 2005
• Tourism Sustainability Group, Action for More Sustainable European Tourism,
2007
• JRC, Best Environmental Management Practice in the Tourism Sector, 2013
• EC, The Guide on EU Funding for the Tourism Sector, 2014-2020
• IEEP, Assessing Socio-economic benefits of Natura 2000: A toolkit for
practitioners, 2009
• The N2K Group, Scoping Study on the Review of Links and Complementary
between Natura 2000 and Cultural Sites
Relevant initiatives and networks
• European Heritage Awards celebrates and promotes best practices related to
heritage conservation, management, research, education and communication.
In this way, it contributes to a stronger public recognition of cultural heritage as
a strategic resource for Europe’s society and economy.11
• European Heritage Alliance 3.3 is an informal platform of 44 European and
international networks active in the wider field of heritage. It brings together civil
society, historic cities and villages, educational institutions, museums and
similar organisations.12
• European Creative Industries Alliance (ECIA) is an integrated policy initiative
that combines policy learning with 8 concrete actions on innovation vouchers,
better access to finance and cluster excellence & cooperation. It is an open
platform that brings together policy-makers and business support practitioners
from 28 partner organisations and 12 countries.
• European Cultural Toursim Network is pan-European network of destinations,
authorities, NGOs and research institutes for sustainable cultural tourism
development and promotion across Europe.
• EUROPARC Federation is a network for Europe’s natural and cultural heritage
that works to improve the management of Protected Areas in Europe through
international cooperation, exchange of ideas and experience, and by influencing
11
http://www.europeanheritageawards.eu/
12
http://europeanheritagealliance.eu/
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Policy bief: Sustainable tourism: an opportunity for regions to benefit from their cultural and natural heritagePolicy Learning Platform on environment and resource efficiency
policy. The network set up the European Charter for Sustainable Tourism in
Protected Areas.
• Virtual Tourism Observatory aims to support policy makers and businesses
develop better strategies for a more competitive European tourism sector. The
VTO provides access to a broad collection of information, data and analysis on
current trends in the tourism sector.
• The International Ecotourism Society is a non-profit organisation dedicated to
promoting eco-tourism. It provides guidelines and standards, training, technical
assistance, and educational resources.13
Image credit: Photo by Pixabay from Pexels
13
http://www.ecotourism.org/ties-overview
10
Policy bief: Sustainable tourism: an opportunity for regions to benefit from their cultural and natural heritage#SustainableTourism #CulturalHeritage
#NaturalHeritage #Cooperation
#PolicyLearning #InterregEurope
Interreg Europe Policy Learning Platform on
Environment and resource efficiency
Thematic experts:
Ruslan Zhechkov & Venelina Varbova
r.zhechkov@policylearning.eu v.varbova@policylearning.eu
http://www.interregeurope.eu
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